Burnaby to host Filipino heritage festival in June

Filipino-Canadian groups are preparing for the celebration of the Filipino Heritage Month in Canada on June 24.

The city, known as the "Heart of the Lower Mainland," will host the day-long festival in its civic square in Metrotown. The event will feature performances and a "tiangge" or a local Filipino store.

"Burnaby will be the place to be," said City Councilor Maita Santiago. "We're going to have a Santacruzan community parade, the Ati-atihan, Sinulog dancers. It will be a beautiful day."

The theme of the Filipino festival is "Panahon na para magsaya" (It's time to have fun), with more than 300 Filipino organizations supporting the event.

Arlene Magno, the Filipino consul general in Vancouver, said she is looking forward to the celebration.

"We will join the parade," she said. "We will be part of that festivity. I look forward to a successful celebration."

Among the participants is the Benguet Society of British Columbia, which will showcase its cultural dances, sell traditional costumes, and have its own Cordillera band playing to entertain the crowd.

The Circulo Pampangueno Association of B.C., meanwhile, will have a booth showcasing the best in Pampanga cuisine.

The United Filipino Canadian Associations in British Columbia is hopeful that there will be more celebrations like this to bring the community closer.

"We need to celebrate Philippine heritage," said Cliff Belgica of the UFCABC. "We are lucky at this point in time, now that the pandemic has ended."